This video gives you an up close and personal view of ASD at its onset.

Autism was first recognized as a syndrome in 1943, but a checklist of diagnostic criteria was not published in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) until 1987. 

Like all disorders, once there is a label, there can be funding for education, research, and services.  As knowledge of the disorder has grown, so too have the number of diagnoses, now at surprising levels. 

According to the Center for Disease Control, 1 in 88 children were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in a 2008 collection of data:

Whether this rise is due solely to an increase in diagnoses due to a broader definition and increased ability to identify, or whether there are environmental factors (such as childhood immunizations) contributing to the development of autism, is the subject of much research and debate. 

A number of factors have been identified that would place a child at greater risk, including certain genetic or chromosomal conditions, low birth weight, and parents who are older.  Also, a 2011 study published in Pediatrics reported a correlation between higher rates of autism and shorter intervals between pregnancies.

Regardless of reasons, the numbers of students making their way through high school and into postsecondary education are sizeable and growing.  And just like other disabilities, the majority of those students will begin their postsecondary education at the community colleges.